Deon Meyer’s LEO awarded Best Adult Fiction and Book of the Year at the SA Book Awards

UPDATE: we are thrilled to announce that, following the announcement of the SA Book Award winners yesterday (18 December 2024), Deon has been awarded not only the prize for Best Adult Fiction, but also the overall Book of the Year honour – as voted for by booksellers from across South Africa. Congratulations to Deon and LEO!

Upon receiving the award Deon said: ‘I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive the two awards bestowed by the South African booksellers. This recognition means the world to me, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to the association’s members who have supported my journey as an author over the past thirty years. Their acknowledgment inspires me to keep telling stories that connect and resonate.’

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Bestselling crime sensation Deon Meyer has been shortlisted for the 2024 SA Book Awards in the Fiction category with LEO. Celebrating the best books written and published in South Africa, and voted for by booksellers from across South Africa, the nomination comes as the latest honour for Deon’s newest hit book, following the awarding of the ATKV-Woordveertjies Prize for best Afrikaans Thriller, and its domination of the bestseller lists in both its English and Afrikaans editions. The winners of the awards will be announced once voting closes on 8 December 2024.

Meanwhile, in the UK, LEO has also been named one of the Best Thrillers of 2024 by The Sunday Times, with critic James Owen describing the book as ‘a masterly portrait of a nation in deep crisis’. ‘Despite his unsentimental eye, Meyer makes you care for his characters’ fates,’ wrote Owen in his initial review for the paper; ‘LEO may be his best yet.’ While in the UK last month, Deon also gave an exclusive feature interview with Matt Nixson for the Daily Express, reflecting on South Africa and the writing of LEO. In praise of Deon’s works, Nixson said that ‘Meyer’s books… are as entertaining as they are thought-provoking’, adding that LEO, with its daring heist plot strand, ‘has already been described as “the African Job”, in a nod to the classic Turin-set Michael Caine movie’.

LEO was first published in South Africa, in Afrikaans, by Human and Rousseau in October 2023, with the English-language edition (translated by K.L. Seegers) from Hodder and Stoughton, in partnership with Jonathan Ball Publishers, launched in October this year. Grove Atlantic will publish in the US and Canada on 18 February 2025, and LEO is already out in France (Editions Gallimard), the Netherlands (A W Bruna) and Germany (Aufbau), where Deon recently completed a multi-city author tour.

LEO picks up the story of Meyer’s heroes Detectives Benny Griessel – now the star of M-Net (South Africa) and Tubi (US) series DEVIL’S PEAK – and Vaughn Cupido. Following the explosive events of THE DARK FLOOD, the detectives are now languishing in Stellenbosch. Run-of-the-mill police work in the leafy university town is a far cry from their previous life in Cape Town fighting crime and government corruption at the highest level. Then a student is found dead on a mountain trail, and the key suspect, a local businessman, is found murdered in what looks like a professional hit delivering a message – suffocated by fast-action filler foam sprayed down his throat.

On the other side of the country, a beautiful wildlife guide is recruited by a group of special forces soldiers to act as a honeytrap, part of a dangerous multi-million-dollar heist that goes tragically wrong. A single link connects the murdered businessman to the special forces, making Benny and Vaughn’s case all the more mysterious. Another former soldier is soon killed, as is an agent of the country’s disgraced former president; and then the heist crew reorganizes with an even more audacious theft in mind.

Following leads as they fly at them, not sure exactly who to trust and struggling to connect the dots as the motives don’t seem to add up, Benny and Vaughn find their case increasingly points to the corruption polluting the country. They know the clock is ticking – and Benny also has to be at the altar on time for his very anxiously-anticipated wedding day…

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer lives in Stellenbosch. His books are sold in 31 countries, and have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, the Martin Beck Award in Sweden and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was longlisted for the 2023 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation. His latest novel LEO, a new Benny Griessel thriller, enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the South African bestseller lists, Number One in all categories.

Adaptations of Deon’s novels have recently had great success on screen: in April 2024, HEART OF THE HUNTER topped the global Netflix film charts, becoming the first African film to do so, with over 11 million views in its first two days alone. DEVIL’S PEAK was also adapted for a miniseries by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions, premiering on M-Net in South Africa in 2023 before reaching audiences in the USA, New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. In 2020, TRACKERS, produced by Three River Fiction and Scene 23, aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK and HBO in the USA, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and across the Nordic countries and Europe.

Praise for LEO

‘Deon Meyer, who is not just the finest crime writer in South Africa but one of the best anywhere, juggles labyrinthine plot strands with a mass of local detail and sociopolitical commentary… with Meyer supplying the usual panoramic canvas of post-apartheid South Africa. The plotting is nonpareil, but it’s the two bloody-minded detectives who grip our attention.’ – Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

‘Meyer expertly interlaces his main narrative threads in shrewd and unpredictable ways, remaining one step ahead of readers as he ushers the plot to a rollicking conclusion. This intelligent page-turner confirms Meyer’s reputation as a master of the police procedural." – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

‘Despite his unsentimental eye, Meyer makes you care for his characters’ fates as they face ambushes and double-crosses before an Italian Job-style climax in the bush. His thrillers are portraits of a country in deep crisis and LEO may be his best yet.’ – James Owen, The Times

‘When a new Deon Meyer lands on the shelves, I feel like WH Auden: “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone / Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.” All 490 pages of such a book have to be devoured in one sitting. Keep it for the holidays, or for a weekend when you have nothing planned… You’ll be on the edge of your seat, chewing your nails… Modern-day Afrikaans struts its stuff in all its different dresses. Our language has excellent crime writers. Meyer is the best, if you ask me... Buy LEO and take a day or two off work.’ – Deborah Steinmair, Vrye Weekblad

‘With blistering set pieces, a keen eye for dialogue – Meyer weaves a dramatic and powerful narrative with a vivid [and colourfully ‘alien’] backdrop that is literary escapism at its absolute zenith. To miss the return of our South African detectives would be a crime.’ – Ali Karim, Shots Mag

Praise for Deon Meyer

‘He’s up there with the best in the world.’ – Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘I love Deon Meyer novels. It’s global storytelling at its best, with the undeniable hallmarks of gritty realism and deep character building.’ – Michael Connelly

‘Deon Meyer's name on the cover is a guarantee of crime writing at its best.’ – Tess Gerritsen

‘Deon Meyer is one of the giants of crime fiction.’ – El Mundo

‘One of the best crime writers on the planet.’ – Mail on Sunday

Visit Deon’s website

Follow Deon on Twitter

SALLY ANDREW’S DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO and ZAKES MDA’s THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK SHORTLISTED FOR THE ADULT FICTION PRIZE AT THE SA BOOK AWARDS 2020

We’re delighted to announce that Zakes Mda’s THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK and Sally Andrew’s DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO have both been shortlisted for the Adult Fiction prize at the 20th Anniversary SA Book Awards. They have been shortlisted alongside Eva Mazza’s SEX, LIES AND STELLENBOSCH and Jackie Phamotse’s THE CRADLE OF THE HOCKEY CLUB.

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The SA Book Awards celebrates books written and published in South Africa, as voted for by South African booksellers. This year a record number of booksellers participated, voting in three categories (Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, and Children’s) from a shortlist of bestselling titles composed by Nielsen BookScan South Africa in 2019. The winners for each category will be revealed in a virtual ceremony on 1 October 2020, along with an overall winner who had the highest number of bookseller votes.

Zake Mda’s THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK was published in 2019 by UMUZI and has been described as ‘compelling and harrowing’ by Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of PARADISE. It is a heart-breaking love story, celebrating the ingenuity of the creative spirit in the face of injustice. Though short, it packs a punch, and is perhaps his best work yet. A film deal is currently under negotiation.

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Sally Andrew’s DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO, the third of the bestselling TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY series, was also published by UMUZI in 2019. Again featuring Ladismith’s famous crime fighter, Tannie Maria, our beleaguered heroine is here to restore peace from the Klein Karoo to the great Limpopo River. Armed with a tin of buttermilk rusks, she faces danger and heartache, as she desperately attempts to solve both murders but also matters of her own heart… Sally is currently working on the eagerly awaited THE MILK TART MURDER, fourth in the TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY series.

For updates follow the SA Book Awards Facebook page.

About Sally Andrew
Sally Andrew is a bestselling South African author. She divides her time between Muizenberg on the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her artist partner and various wildlife (including a giant eland and a secretive leopard).

Her first novel, RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER: A Tannie Maria Mystery was a Kirkus Best Book of 2015, a Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015, The Bookseller Fiction Editor’s Choice 2015 and a Good Housekeeping Book of the Month.

Her books have been published in fourteen languages and Both Worlds have  optioned rights to develop the RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER television series.

Praise for Sally Andrew and DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO

‘A vivid, amusing and immensely enjoyable read about detection (and cooking) in an intriguing part of southern Africa …. A triumph.’ – Alexander McCall Smith

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'Take a pinch of Alexander McCall Smith, a dash of Diane Mott Davidson, and add a smidge of the wild veld and you’ll get a taste for this lekker story (that’s “delicious” in Afrikaans). While the tone is heartfelt, Andrew doesn’t shy away from the realities of spousal abuse or the shadow of South Africa’s tumultuous history. With a fascinating setting, engaging characters, and a full complement of drool-worthy recipes, this is sure to leave readers craving more.’ – Starred review, Library Journal

'With her cosy Tannie Maria mysteries, Sally Andrew adds some zest (and recipes) to a predominantly serious genre. Even though it might gravitate more towards mysteries than hardcore crime, it’s still worth a read for its humour and South Africanisms.' — Dey There, 12 South African Crime Writers to Add to Your Reading List

'There is a Thelma and Louise-type thread that runs through this brilliant novel... Andrew has delighted her fans with her first two books, but in this novel she raises her game considerably without losing any of the charm of the character of Maria. I can't wait to see what her next novel offers.' — Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times

Visit Sally’s website here.

Follow her on Twitter.

 

About Zakes Mda

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Zakes Mda is the pen name of Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda. He is a South African, Lesotho and Appalachian American-African writer, painter, and music composer. He holds an MFA (Theater) and an MA (Telecommunications) from Ohio University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town.

He has published 22 books, ten of which are novels and the rest collections of plays, poetry and a monograph on the theory and practice of theatre-for-development. His novel CION, set in southeast Ohio, was nominated for the NAACP Image Award. His memoir SOMETIMES THERE IS A VOID: MEMOIRS OF AN OUTSIDER was published by Farrar Straus and Giroux and was a New York Times Notable Book for 2012. He has won many prestigious literary awards in South Africa.

He divides his time between the USA and South Africa. He is Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio University, lecturer in Creative Writing at Johns Hopkins University and Extraordinary Professor of English at the University of the Western Cape. In South Africa he is a patron of the Market Theatre and director of the Southern African Multimedia AIDS Trust. He also runs a beekeeping project he established in 2000 with rural women of the Eastern Cape and is a director of NeoZane, a publishing house and animation film production company in Johannesburg.

 

Praise for Zakes Mda and THE ZULUS OF NEW YORK

 ‘A perceptive re-enactment of the experiences of African entertainers in late 19th-century London and New York ... a compelling and harrowing story of Em-Pee the Zulu dancer and his doomed love for the Dinka woman Acol that takes the reader deep into their imagined lives.’ – Abdulrazak Gurnah, author of PARADISE

‘One of the two most acclaimed South African novelists of the past twenty years [along with Coetzee]… Mda’s greatest gift is his Dickensian social range, his ability to generate characters from diverse backgrounds, colluding and colliding across the barriers erected to divide them. – Rob Nixon, New York Times Book Review

‘A voice for which one should feel not only affection but admiration’ – The New York Times

‘In novel after novel, Zakes Mda seems to have cultivated a mode of writing in which the realistic and the magical co-exist with unruffled ease.’ – Harry Garuba, Independent

'Zakes Mda is among the most acclaimed exponents of a new artistic freedom. His fiction has a beguiling lyricism and humour, revelling in the beauty of aloe-covered mountains or Cape marine life.' – Maya Jaggi, The Guardian

 

Follow Zakes on Twitter.